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Whether you work in retail, hospitality, finance or engineering you’ve probably heard of public liability. In fact, most people probably wouldn’t even dare think of trading unless they had a public liability insurance policy in place.

Although in some industries, such as community organisations or property management it is compulsory to have public liability insurance, in many others it is often a pre-condition of trade or enforceable through business association memberships.

For example, a retailer in a shopping centre or a franchisee will almost certainly be required to have public liability as a pre-condition of trade. But what is it? In short, it protects your business for any physical injury or property damage suffered by a third party – potentially your customer.

So you’re an accountant and an elderly client slips on that shinny new wooden floor of yours – will your business compensate the client for medical bills with a few hundred thousand dollars out of its bank account? Probably not. Typically, businesses purchase between $10 million and $20 million worth of public liability cover. For office-based businesses, public liability can start from as little as $200, with doctor’s surgeries for example, starting at around $300 for $10 million worth of cover.

Of course, risk comes at a price and unfortunately if you happen to be in what an insurance company finds is a risky occupation, your business might have to pay a lot more for its insurance. Businesses such as grocery stores for example, can expect to pay between $1,000 and $2,000 whereas pubs or clubs can fork out up to $5,000 or more. In fact, some businesses are considered so risky that they can’t buy any public liability insurance at all.

In a litigious environment such as Australia, it would seem prudent to ensure that you have adequate protection – particularly given that in Australia, there is no cap on the amount of compensation awarded to a claimant.

However, in a commercial sense it can mean the difference between new business and no business with customers often more comfortable using service providers with adequate protection – wouldn’t you?

Author Bio: Vincent Moran, independent insurance specialist and chief blogger @ www.mybiz247.com.au – a free resource on insurance for business in Australia.

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Your brand communicates what you stand for, and makes you unique. It helps your target customers distinguish you from your competitors; and the connection is much more emotional than you might think.

Your brand’s personality gives your customers something they can relate to.

Think about the decisions you make when you shop, when you choose between products that are the same in almost every way, what makes you prefer one over the other? It’s your connection with the brand and in the case of products like breakfast cereals, that connection has existed since your childhood.

Many new business owners unconsciously overlay their own personality onto their business. But is your quirky, funny, bold personality right for your IT services business? It might be. If it isn’t, then you need to sit down and think about your brand’s personality.

If you have never thought it, here’s a quick exercise: Write down some personality words on a page. Start with about 16.

Here some to start you off: Professional ; Stylish ; Efficient ; Reliable ; Friendly ; Sophisticated ; Expert ; Candid ; Budget ; Modern ; Aggressive; Committed, you get the idea.

Look at the words collected and pick 3 that capture how you want to be described. And when I say you, I mean your business.

You can be more than 3, but choose the 3 that will define your customers’ experience with you.

This is the starting point of your brand’s personality and it’s important that you are consistent across all your business communication, through the good times and bad. So next time you respond to a customer enquiry (or complaint), update your businesses Facebook page, or Tweet to your followers stop and ask yourself “Does this fit with my brand’s personality?”.

Have you ever thought about your brand’s personality? Is it very different to your own personality?

Author Bio: Belinda Weaver can help to infuse your brand’s personality into your marketing, and get better results in the process, drop Belinda @ Copywrite Matters a line. Belinda is a marketer and copywriter that helps businesses of all sizes make every word count.
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If I were to ask you what the face of your business is, you might respond by saying that it is perhaps your logo, advertising, brand or website.

Any one of those things could certainly be the most immediately obvious aspects of your business’ image, and they all have the potential to be tools for business growth depending on your overall business objectives.

However, would you agree that you are the face of your business? This would be particularly true if you are the first person that your customers and potential customers have contact with.

As a small business owner you are a major part of the overall image and reputation of your business. Your passion, interest and expertise provide an indication of the customer service and quality of your business.

Imagine if the public face of your business was your satisfied and impressed staff and customers. What effect would this have on your business in terms of attracting new customers and encouraging loyalty from your existing ones?

The reverse is also worth considering. Imagine if the public face of your business was staff and customers who were uninspired, disappointed or even outraged at your business?

That reputation would shout louder than any of your positive marketing tactics and would spread far and fast like a rumour weed. For example, to many the image of BP would be overtaken or greatly influenced by the recent Gulf of Mexico oil spill and what has been said about it, rather than BP’s logo, website or advertising.

See your staff and customers as a newsstand that talks about your business. They are the owners of your brand and the broadcasters of your reputation.

You can be certain that your customers, previous clients, staff, associates, competitors and onlookers are talking about your business – behind your back.

Don’t get offended now – this is the highest good for your business, and is powerful when you give them good things to talk about.

In preparation for writing the book The Referral Engine, John Jantsch conducted an informal survey of several thousand small business owners. 63.4% felt that over half their business came by way of positive referrals. According to McKinsey Company, 90% of consumers consider word-of-mouth as the best source of information about products and services.

So give your staff, customers and potential customers something good to talk about, because they are going to talk anyway – particularly if you surprise them or trigger an emotional and passionate response.

Keep in mind that people don’t get emotional and passionate about ordinary products, a satisfactory result, or a good price. They talk about negative experiences. They also talk about positive things like personal touches, receiving more than was promised, having their expectations exceeded and things that make them feel great about themselves.

The exciting thing is, this is something that small business can beat bigger businesses in, over and over.

Author Bio: Phoebe Netto is the Managing Director of Good Business Consulting, a small business advisory. She is passionate about helping good small businesses grow through retaining their customers and attracting new ones. Having moved into the small business sector from a corporate background, Phoebe understands the dedication and diversity of small business owners. She is experienced and delivers results.
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